my sincere apologies to all Mudcatters for going off half cocked like that! Some times it's difficult keeping everything straight!

Of course, it is Mike Cross who penned it, it appears on Bryan Bowers recording 'Home, Home on the Road', Flying Fish, 1980, simply titled 'The Scotsman'.

In conversation with Bryan recently he had remarked on how tired he became of singing that song every place he played for years afterwards, he doesn't do it now much. Paul Brady had been on my mind, don't know how I could have thought it was his song, (it was late, I was tired) sorry again for doing myself what I often cringe at by others, someone jumping into a thread before they really are sure of what they have to say. It shouldn't happen again (unless it's late, and I'm tired, I suppose!). I do stand behind my other comments though, don't care much for that Andy Stewart song, which he himself says he tossed off for the craic, not serious about it. The Mike Cross song is cute enough, though some of the rhymes aare a bit forced, and you don't ever need to hear it twice, a long way to go for a laugh you've had before you get there. I suppose if you were going to perform it in the UK you would change it to a red ribbon, or just change the last line to 'but I see you've won a prize.'